As the first few Street 500s, Harley-Davidson Inc.’s newest motorcycles, are set to be shipped to area dealers sometime this spring in Wisconsin, the House of Harley-Davidson is set to kick off a new rider training program called the Riding Academy.

Once the Street 500s arrive, the new motorcycles will be used in the training programs and will feature a protective apparatus that won’t allow the motorcycle to flop over completely, said John Schaller, owner of Greenfield-based House of Harley-Davidson.

“It’s kind of like training wheels and this is new with this bike,” Schaller said. “It makes it much safer to learn how to ride and no one likes to drop a bike. It also reduces the damage to the bikes, protects our investment and is safer for customers.”

The Street platform, with 750cc and 500cc engine models, marks the first Harley-Davidson motorcycles designed from scratch since the V-Rod 13 years ago. It was crafted under Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson’s revamped, shorter product development process begun under chairman, president and chief executive officer Keith Wandell’s management team four years ago.

The company will first re-fleet its Rider's Edge training classes, which had first-time riders start out on the Buell Blast. After those are replaced with the Street 500s, the dealers will have customers sitting on motorcycles they can sell.

“We’re thrilled to be the home of the new Riding Academy in Milwaukee,” Schaller said. “The opportunity to learn how to ride on a Harley-Davidson will make the experience more meaningful to students no matter their riding background.”

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